I'll Only Tell You
by WeAretheStarlight
Summary: Aria decides to share one of her deepest secrets with Ezra. Only Ezra. Ezra shares his thoughts on said secret. One-shot. Ezria.


**A/N: Hey guys! I just got this idea and had to write it, despite me being very busy with schoolwork! Thanks for reading! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

><p>"Geez, Aria!" Hanna yelled as soon as Aria scrambled out of <em>the room <em>and locked it, "What are you hiding in that room of yours, huh? Dead bodies?"

Aria jumped at the sound of her roommate and whirled around to face her. "Hanna! Wh-Where did you...? I-I'm not...not hiding any...dead bodies. It's just...just...a..." Her face was a bright scarlet.

Hanna crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. Ever since she decided to share an apartment with Aria after they graduated from high school, she noticed the petite brunette acting...strangely. Aria would run into her little room as soon as she came back from work or when she woke up from her bed in the middle of the night, and would spend hours in there.

"Tell what you're hiding, Aria. Please. I'm...worried about you, okay? I even called Emily and Spencer—"

Aria's mouth dropped open. "Y-You...Called Emily and Spencer? _Why_? You were planning some crazy intervention? I swear there's nothing behind this door that's...You don't need to get them involved..." She couldn't believe Hanna had interrupted Spencer's life with Toby and Emily's life with Alison just to tell them about a room!

"Of course I do!" Hanna's voice rose an octave, "What the hell am I supposed to do when my friend locks herself in a room for _hours_? What am I supposed to think?"

"Nothing!" Aria protested, "You say nothing! You don't think anything! I know this is weird...But Hanna, if I was in any real danger—"

"Weird? Bull_shit_, Montgomery! You and your imaginary friend or whoever you spend time with in there...What is so important in that room that you can't tell me what it is? Are you hiding Ezra in there? Are you hiding porn? You're giving me the creeps!"

Aria gasped, but in reality, she wanted to laugh. Hanna thought she was hiding _Ezra _in the room? He still taught English at Rosewood High; he was probably there now (though it was early evening), grading essays. And..._porn_? Wow. "Y-You think I'm hiding...? Ezra's not in here. And you know I don't watch...porn." Aria said the last word quietly, as if she were saying something horrendous. She still felt uncomfortable speaking about things of a sexual nature. It was how she was raised, she guessed.

"Okay, so you're not hiding dead bodies, and you're not hiding Ezra or porn...Then what?" Hanna pressed, "If you think I'm going to laugh or make fun of you...You know me, Aria. I would never..."

"No...Can we not do this right now?" Aria muttered, shaking her head. She heard what Hanna said about not laughing or making fun of her, but if she were to see what was behind the door...Aria's secret was _too_ weird. Hanna would laugh, would judge her.

Hanna stood in front of Aria for a moment in silence before huffing in annoyance. "Fine...I'll leave you to your...whatever." She waved a hand of dismissal in the direction of the room and stormed out of sight.

...

Staring at _the room_'s key in her hand as she lay on her bed, Aria wanted to cry. She hated how her secret was tearing her apart from her friends and family, but she didn't know what they'd think about it. She didn't know how it began, but it did. And since then, she couldn't stop thinking about it. She guarded the room like a dragon would guard a castle, ashamed and afraid of what was behind it, yet she was drawn to such a secret, spending hours alone with it because she couldn't believe she'd go overboard like she did.

_I hate myself. Why can't I just tell someone? This is ridiculous! _Aria thought, _why are you so damn shy about it_? _Because it's been two years since you've started. If someone knew you were doing this for that long...Besides, it's not something_ Aria Montgomery _does._

But there was a yearning feeling in Aria's heart. She had to tell _someone_. She was great at keeping secrets, but _this _one was eating away at her. It was meant to be shared with someone. Her secret would have no purpose if it wasn't shared with someone like...

_Ezra! Ezra...I need to tell Ezra. _Aria sat up, eyes wide in terror. _What would Ezra think, though? He's probably going to think I'm a freak..._Her heart drummed in her throat, and her stomach knotted. Telling Ezra was easier thought than done—

There was suddenly a knock at Aria's bedroom door.

"Yeah? You can come in." Aria called.

The bedroom door opened to reveal her taller blonde friend. "Aria...Look...I want to apologize for what I said earlier, alright? You're allowed privacy, and I need to respect that." Hanna's voice had a bit of a deadpan to it, but Aria knew it was there because Hanna wasn't used to apologizing.

Aria managed a smile. "You're fine. I probably would've done the same thing if I were you."

"Awesome." Hanna grinned, "Because I totally went to through all the trouble of going ordering you one of those vegetarian burritos you like for dinner."

"Nuh-uh!" Aria said in surprise, chuckling, "You didn't! Thanks so much, Hanna!"

"Yeah, yeah." Hanna smirked. She rolled her eyes playfully.

There was pause, and Aria took a deep breath. Time to put her "tell-Ezra-her-secret" plan to work.

"Uh...Do you mind if Ezra and I...Have a night here...alone?" Aria winced at how soft her voice was.

"Ooh...Sexy time with Ezra!" Hanna teased. "Yeah. Sure. I don't mind. I've been meaning to meet up with Caleb anyway."

"Thanks." Aria nodded. Her mind spun with the thought of Ezra visiting and the multiple reactions he could have to her hidden secret. _Please don't think differently of me, Ezra. Please._

If Ezra wouldn't accept Aria's secret, then she was lost; she couldn't think of what she'd do. She'd never open up to anyone ever again, that's for sure.

* * *

><p>Ezra nearly jumped at the chance to spend the night at Aria's apartment. He was weighed down by the duties of being a teacher, grading papers and modifying lesson plans. His life needed a change of pace. And any time spent with his spunky and quirky girlfriend was enough to drive him wild.<p>

"So how's everything?" Ezra asked Aria around a mouthful of blueberry pie, "You still work at that retail store?" He was sitting in the small kitchen area of the apartment at an even smaller table, sharing a pie with Aria.

"Yeah...I still work there." Aria replied absentmindedly, distracted by her secret around the corner, "It's okay. A pain sometimes, but okay. I have to get to this fashion designer dream of mine somehow, right?" She shrugged.

"Right." Ezra watched Aria closely as she ate a forkful of pie. She seemed...bothered by something. "Well...you should see my desk at the school. Sheets of papers and papers and papers—feel free to stop me at any time—and grading and grading and grading—"

"Stop! I get it, Ezra, please!" Aria giggled. Her face glowed for a moment, and Ezra was delighted to make her smile.

"...I am _so _tired of seeing...paper. If I see one more sheet of paper, Aria, I think I'm going to be sick. I'll probably take a day off or something..."

Aria was laughing now. "But you're an...an _English _teacher! Seeing paper is basically a job requirement!"

Ezra crinkled his nose. "I know...Oh, how I wished to have traveled the world instead..." He let his voice trail off when he caught Aria staring into the pie pan with a dejected expression. "Aria...Is something the matter? You—"

"I-I need to show you...something..." Aria muttered, "Uh...follow me."

"O...kay..." Ezra commented, studying Aria as she got up from the table. He did the same, following her around the corner to the door of a small room. "What's in the room?"

Aria sighed, her eyes searching Ezra's face. "What...What I'm about to show you, Ezra...I-I never told anyone about. I...just need you to...not judge me, okay?"

Ezra nodded sharply. "What's...in the room, Aria?" His voice sounded like sandpaper, "What's gotten you so...?" Seeing Aria so nervous was scaring him. He wanted to reach out and hug her fear away, but she turned to put a key in the doorknob.

Aria pulled the door of the room open, and motioned for Ezra to step in.

Ezra reluctantly followed Aria's command, stepping into darkness. He almost jumped a foot in the air as Aria shut the door behind them and flipped the switch for the lone bulb above them.

"So...Th-This is what I've...Been doing for two years, now." Aria whispered from Ezra's side.

Ezra's breath caught in his throat. Out of all of the things he could imagine behind the door, _this_ wasn't it. "Holy crap, Aria."

* * *

><p>This was it; there was no turning back.<p>

Aria bit her lip as Ezra was observing her babies. Not...actual _human_ babies. Along each wall of the room were shelves. And each shelf was lined with pairs of shoes. Hundreds of pairs of brand new shoes that have never been worn. Shoes that were only taken out of their boxes to be cradled in Aria's arms whenever she was stressed. Shoes that Aria would spend hours alone with, just to smell the relaxing scent of leather. The room was full of _men's shoes_.

"These are..." Ezra began slowly, trying to choose his wording carefully, "These—"

"Are men's shoes. I-I know. And I'm a girl. I don't...don't even have this many pairs of shoes for myself." Aria confessed quickly, "I just...I _love_ them. I mean, like, I-I've always loved the way...men's shoes looked. The Oxfords, the Wingtips, the loafers, the boat shoes, the boots...So classy, you know? How could shoes have so much class? I bought a pair with my employee discount at the retail store one day. Just for...fun, I guess? I thought, you know...'future fashion designer here, no big deal'...But I...got hooked. And I was so embarrassed...How I snuck them out of the store, pretending I was buying them for my dad if someone asked, how I run through the apartment with them just to put them—"

"Aria." Ezra stopped his girlfriend. There was no emotion on his face as he took in his surroundings, and Aria was terrified.

"Y-You probably think I'm a freak. Go on, laugh...I..." Aria's eyes began to fill with tears. "I...just thought..."

"Aria." Ezra repeated, turning to face Aria. He lifted her chin and chuckled to her surprise, "I don't think you're a _freak_. This...what you've been doing...it's cute. And you have great taste, I have to say. There's some pretty handsome shoes in here."

Blushing, blinking away tears, Aria looked up at Ezra with skeptical eyes. "Y-You think so?"

Ezra gave Aria a soft kiss on the lips. "Absolutely."

"...Because there's more I have t-to say..." Aria went on, "Y-You're probably wondering why I...decided to show you...my...collection." She blushed, tucking some of her hair behind her ear, "Well...I've always had this..._thing_..."

Ezra wore a look of confusion. "'Thing'?"

Aria carefully took a pair of shoes off of the shelf, holding them in her tiny arms. "Th-These are my favorite pair." She admired the suede periwinkle Wingtips she was cradling before meeting Ezra's eyes.

Ezra let out a low whistle. "Classy, my dear Montgomery. I've never seen anything like them." He attempted to be funny in order to ease the tension in the room and to make Aria smile again, but she ignored his joke.

"I...want you to...try these on." Aria gulped, holding out the shoes for Ezra to take.

Ezra took the shoes from Aria and inspected them from all angles. He let out a chuckle. "Sure, Aria. Is this all—"

"I w-want you to try those shoes on, Ezra." Aria tried again. She glanced at Ezra's lilac shirt, black tie, and black pants before glancing at his worn out black leather Oxfords and back at the periwinkle Wingtips in his hands. "_Only_ those shoes."

Ezra's eyes widened, and he stood there staring at Aria for what seemed like days. "Aria...Let me...make sure I'm hearing this correctly. You want me...to wear these—" He held up Aria's favorite pair. "—Without anything...else?"

Aria was blushing madly. She nodded. "Y-Yeah...Call it a...fetish or whatever, b-but..."

Ezra exhaled, and Aria could see a tinge of pink on his cheeks. "Anything for you, Aria." He kissed his girlfriend's forehead.

"Uh...g-great. Thanks, Ezra." Aria didn't know what to say; she didn't expect Ezra to be so accepting of this secret of hers. "I'll...b-be in my room when you're done...okay?"

"O-Okay..."

...

Ezra felt beyond nervous standing in the apartment's bathroom in nothing but the periwinkle suede shoes. They fit him perfectly—that wasn't the problem—He was trying to adjust to this new side of Aria. Her secret didn't bother him much; he loved her unconditionally. It was that he wasn't used to wearing just...shoes.

_Come on, Ezra. You can do this. Walk out of here. _Ezra told himself in the mirror, _it's not like Aria hasn't seen you naked before... _That was true, so why was he so afraid? He looked down at the shoes he was wearing and suddenly felt...exposed. Funny, that. How a pair of shoes made him want to hide. _These shoes just mean so much to Aria...I don't want to screw this up. I better get out of here before she gets worried. I don't want to let her down._

Ezra turned off the light in the bathroom and stepped out, closing the door behind him. He couldn't take his eyes off of the Wingtips as he found the way to Aria's bedroom, noticing how the light caught the material—

"E-Ezra." Aria's voice sounded as soon as he stopped in the doorway of her room.

"Hey, Aria." Ezra said to the shoes, heat creeping up his neck and landing on his face, "I'm sorry if I...I've never done..._this _before."

"Neither have I." Aria responded with a light laugh, "I-It's okay..."

Standing frozen at the door, Ezra felt like a shy little boy again. Unable to make eye contact, unable to hold a conversation. Unable to calm his thrashing heart.

"You look perfect, as always." Aria said after a while, "And the shoes do too."

"But wh-why...? If you don't mind me asking..."

"You know that saying, Ezra, about the man making the clothes...not the clothes making the man?" Aria began slowly, "Well...When I started...with the shoes...I always imagined...th-that...I wanted someone to...um...bring them alive. Like...I didn't want them just to sit in the room forever, not doing anything...And as I said earlier, the shoes are so classy and beautiful...I couldn't imagine someone wearing them with..._clothes_. And Ezra, you're my boyfriend and all..."

Ezra nodded, understanding. Aria just wanted a stronger connection with her shoes. It was just like him, how he read literary classics alone with silly accents and tried to find music that fit the time period of the stories. He wanted to connect with the characters, get lost in a world he could only experience within the pages of books.

"L-Look at me, Ezra." Aria pleaded, "Please. Y-You're...scaring me..."

_I'm hurting Aria...This is exactly what I _didn't _want to do..._Ezra gradually lifted his eyes until they met with Aria's figure, and he gasped.

Aria was lying across her bed seductively, propped up by her elbow, in nothing but her lacy, cheetah-print lingerie. Her face was clouded over with concern, her full lips in a pout.

Ezra, distracted by Aria's curves, searched his brain for an apology. "Oh! Uh...I-I'm sorry, Aria. I didn't mean to scare you." He felt throbbing fire between his legs and the start of an erection. "You're...beautiful, Aria. So...so beautiful. Ravishing."

Aria giggled. "Oh, stop!" She said modestly, grinning, and Ezra couldn't help but to smile himself. "C'mere, Ezra." She beckoned him over with a "come-hither" gesture.

Ezra found himself walking across the room in the periwinkle shoes until he reached Aria. He stood beside her, smiling, his eyes following the trail of her pale skin. _I'm the luckiest man in the world_.

* * *

><p>"...What?" Aria looked up at Ezra worriedly, "Is there something...?" She then let out a little yelp as Ezra swung himself on top of her so that his legs straddled her hips. She shuddered as she felt the smooth, cool suede from the shoes she made Ezra wear come in contact with her legs.<p>

"I meant what I said." Ezra's husky voice whispered in Aria's ear, "You. Are. So. _Beautiful_."

Aria wrapped her arms around Ezra's neck, closing her eyes as he kissed her lips deeply and passionately. She reciprocated, letting out a small moan as she felt Ezra's erection brushing against her stomach. She began to shiver at the delicate kisses Ezra planted on her cheek, as he worked his way down her neck and between her breasts. A soft growl escaped from Ezra, making Aria's heart flutter. Her feet met suede with every movement, bringing continuous tingles up her spine, making her toes curl in utter bliss.

The kisses stopped, and Aria wanted more. Ezra looked up at her, his eyes glowing and a boyish grin on his face. "So...When do I get to...try on all of those shoes, hmm?" He asked breathlessly, biting his lip.

Aria stared at her boyfriend in shock for a moment before she smiled and broke out into laughter. "R-Really?" She couldn't believe she had Ezra's full support behind her secret, and she loved him even more for it.

"_Yes_, really." Ezra replied with a laugh of his own, "When do we get to share..._our _secret again?"

Our _secret. _The words echoed in Aria's mind, and her smile grew larger. She had actually shared her secret with someone, and it turned out to be one of the best moments of her life.

"Oh, I don't know..." Aria hummed teasingly, "Sometime _very _soon." She then pulled Ezra in for another kiss.


End file.
